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Donald Trump said he was “annoyed” with Vladimir Putin for talks on a cease-fire with Ukraine, while the American president threatened secondary prices on Russian oil buyers if no agreement is concluded.
The comments of Trump on Sunday revealed the frustration of the White House with the Russian president while negotiations on a war rules in Ukraine continue without a clear breakthrough.
The new threat to achieving imports from countries that buy Russian oil come while Trump is preparing to impose prices on goods from many largest American trade partners on Wednesday. The president has proclaimed the moment of the “Liberation Day”, but the plan has caused market and anxiety troubles among companies and governments around the world.
Trump’s explosion in Moscow is a change in tone for the American president, who for weeks blamed Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, for having been reluctant to conclude an agreement.
The American president reprimanded Putin for attacking Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as head of kyiv.
“If we are in the middle of a negotiation, you might say that I was very angry, upset … When Putin started to enter the credibility of Zelenskyy,” Trump told NBC News. “It’s not going to the right place, do you understand?”
While Ukraine has accepted American requests for a 30-day complete ceasefire, Russia has pushed the plan and conceded only a truce concerning the energy infrastructure objectives and maritime operations in the Black Sea-and only if the West raises sanctions on certain agricultural products.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of having broken the energy ceasefire at least twice since its agreed. “Russia must be forced to peace-only the pressure will work,” he said this weekend.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who spent seven hours with Trump in his seaside resort in Mar-A-Lago on Saturday, including a golf game, the American president “was missing” with Putin above the ceasefire.
“I think we are going in the right direction,” said Stubb during a visit to London where British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be on Monday on his discussions with Trump.
On Sunday evening, during a telephone call, the British chief updated the American president on discussions between more than 30 nations supporting kyiv in Paris this week.
“Managers have agreed to maintain collective pressure on Putin,” said a Downing Street spokesperson. Trump and Starmer also discussed negotiations on an economic agreement between the two nations.
Stubb said he had proposed to set a deadline of April 20 – which has marked three months since Trump’s return to the White House – to accept an unconditional 30 -day truce on land, sea and in the air. Western and oriental Christian churches will celebrate Easter on April 20 of this year, a rare alignment of the calendar.
“The Russians block, they offer new conditions,” said Stubb. “Let’s call Putin’s Bluff for what it is. Russia at this stage does not want peace. We must therefore force peace on Russia. “
Stubb shared the details of his meeting with Trump during a phone call with Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president said on Sunday evening.
“We have to engage more with America, finding ways to force Russia to peace and work on security guarantees, which must become our next step after the ceasefire,” said Zelenskyy.
“Russia continues to look for apologies to drag this war even more. Putin plays the same game he has since 2014.”
Trump had previously threatened Russia with new prices and sanctions if they resist an agreement, but the widening of the commercial fanfaron to Russian oil buyers in other countries will add more pressure on Putin.
“If an agreement is not concluded, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I will put secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told NBC.
Trump did not give a clear explanation of what the plan would imply. He said: “Whoever buys Russia oil will not be able to sell his product, a product, not just oil, in the United States”, but also said that there would be a “price of 25 to 50 points throughout oil”.
The American president added that he was going to slap “secondary prices” on Iran if they did not agree on his nuclear program, because he has renewed his threat of “bombing” Tehran if they do not conclude an agreement.
Additional Jim Pickard reports in London
